On the Road Again. (I know, I know... Couldn't I have come up with something more creative?)

So here we are in York, Pennsylvania, in a cute little hotel, re-learning how to live out of a suitcase. The cast of Dora the Explorer, Live: Search for the City of Lost Toys took off from NYC yesterday on a bus bound for York, where we're teching for about a week and a half and opening at the end of January. And I'm pretty stoked.

The thing is, last time I took off on tour, the circumstances were waaaaaay different. I was a replacement, so I literally left town four days after I auditioned, which means that I packed my life, moved into a storage unit, made arrangements for subletting, learned the replacement role, and said goodbyes by the seat of my pants and inside of a week. This time, I've been in on the show from the get-go, and we've been rehearsing in NY for two weeks. I know my stuff. I've had time to find the perfect subletter. I've had time to cover all the bases and say all the goodbyes I needed to. I've had the opportunity to begin friendships with my castmates. I know how to pack and what to bring. I have a strong, stable relationship that isn't in a shambles. And I have an idea of what this experience is going to be like.

I guess all of these add up to me feeling already more comfortable on this tour than I ever did on Diego. I don't feel like an intruder, and I don't feel like a beginner. I miss Ryan with a fierceness, but I know that it will just be okay, because we have been building something together that is solid as a rock. And that is another comfort -- knowing that it is all okay, and not having some trouble from back home hanging out in the back of my mind all the time.

So here's what I know: this is an experience of a lifetime, and this go around, I'm going to be fully present for it.